A 1984 National Institutes of Health consensus development conference concluded that high blood cholesterol levels are a major cause of coronary artery disease and that the risk of heart attacks would be reduced by lowering definitely elevated blood cholesterol levels. It also recommended (a) lowering the average blood cholesterol level of the entire population, (b) a national campaign to educate consumers and health professionals why and how to lower high blood cholesterol levels, and (c) intensified development of products to facilitate blood cholesterol reduction.
Medicines for lowering blood cholesterol often have undesirable side effects. As currently practiced, most diet-based treatments for lowering cholesterol also have drawbacks. For instance, they require major changes in eating habits and a high level of nutritional knowledge and dietary training. These drawbacks severely limit the effectiveness of current diet-based approaches.
Therefore, there is a need for a method of lowering blood cholesterol without the use of drugs and without the need for major changes in eating habits.
Several references disclose the use of sucrose polyesters in food compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,186 to Mattson et al., issued Aug. 17, 1971, discloses low calorie, fat-containing food compositions in which at least a portion of the triglyceride content is replaced by a polyol fatty acid ester, the polyol fatty acid ester having at least four fatty acid ester groups with each fatty acid having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms. Sucrose polyesters are preferred polyol fatty acid esters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,195 to Jandacek, issued Jan. 25, 1977, discloses sucrose polyesters used in food compositions to treat and/or prevent hypercholesterolemia. It is disclosed that sucrose polyesters have a cholesterol-lowering effect in the body. A cooking fat and a plastic shortening are described.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for reducing blood cholesterol levels without the use of drugs and without major dietary changes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide food compositions that, when eaten on a regular basis, are effective at reducing blood cholesterol levels.
It is a further object of the present invention to make food compositons that have the enhanced blood cholesterol lowering benefits of the combination of sucrose polyester and vegetable protein.
These and other objects of the invention will become evident from the disclosure herein.
All percentages are by weight unless otherwise defined.